Around the Courts: College Squash Highlights (2/8/2015)

Around the Courts: College Squash Highlights (2/8/2015)

College Squash AssociationNorthampton, MA — With the majority of teams wrapping up the college squash regular season this week, there were many crucial matches.

On Monday, the University of Virginia men hosted and defeated Richmond.

In upstate New York on Tuesday, Hobart and William Smith hosted Hamilton. Hobart defeated the Continentals, 6-3, while the Hamilton women defeated the Herons, 9-0.

On Wednesday, Colby hosted Bates. Both Bobcats squads defeated Colby. Also on Wednesday, MIT defeated Northeastern, 8-1, and Amherst defeated Mount Holyoke, 8-1. Both Brown teams lost to Yale.

In a highly anticipated rematch from last season’s national championship final, the top-ranked Trinity women visited 3rd-ranked Harvard. The Crimson defended their home courts, winning 8-1.

On Friday, Drexel hosted and defeated both Dickinson squads. George Washington defeated the Franklin & Marshall women, but lost to the F&M men. MIT traveled to the Mid Atlantic. The Engineers defeated Johns Hopkins 7-2. Lehigh defeated the Boston College men, 6-3.

On Saturday, George Washington split matches with Drexel. The George Washington women defeated the Dragons, 6-3, while the Drexel men defeated the Colonials, 5-4. Both George Washington and Drexel squads defeated Virginia.

Haverford hosted a number of teams on Saturday. The Haverford women defeated Boston College, 5-4, and Bucknell, 7-2. Not to be outdone, the Haverford men defeated Swarthmore, 9-0, and Boston College, 5-4. William Smith shut out both Rochester and Colgate.

Continuing their Mid Atlantic trip, MIT defeated Virginia, 6-3. This was the Engineers’ second victory against a higher ranked opponent on the weekend.

Bard and Vassar met for the third time this season. Last week, Bard ended Vassar’s 30-match winning streak (dating back to 1988) against the Raptors. This week, Vassar captured the match, 6-3.

The Ivy League season concluded with a flurry of matches. On Friday, the Dartmouth men defeated Brown, 6-3, while the Big Green women shutout Brown. Columbia visited Princeton. The Lions’ men defeated Princeton, 6-3, while the Tigers’ women won, 9-0. Both Penn squads hosted and defeated Cornell. The Harvard men and women defeated Yale.

On Sunday, Harvard defeated both Brown teams.  Similarly, the Yale squads defeated Dartmouth. The Princeton women defeated Cornell, 8-1, while the Cornell men defeated Princeton, 5-4. Penn and Columbia traded matches. The Lions’ men defeated Penn, 7-2, while the Quaker women wrapped up an undefeated season with a 9-0 win against Columbia.

The Penn women won the Ivy League title, their third ever. The Harvard men earned their 40th conference crown.

On Saturday, the Seven Sisters Championship, was held at Harvard with Wellesley serving as the host. The event featured Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. Wellesley repeated as tournament champions by defeating the other three participants in round robin play. Mount Holyoke defeated Smith and Vassar to take second, while Vassar defeated Smith to finish in third place.

This weekend, the NESCAC Championships were held at Williams College. In women’s action on Friday, Colby edged Wesleyan, 5-4; Hamilton swept Conn College; and Bowdoin blanked Tufts. In the quarterfinals on Saturday, Trinity defeated Colby, 8-1; Bates defeated Amherst, 6-3; Middlebury defeated Hamilton, 9-0; and Williams defeated Bowdoin, 9-0. In the semifinals, Trinity advanced with a 9-0 victory over Bates, while Williams defeated Middlebury, 6-3. On Sunday, Trinity earned their ninth consecutive NESCAC title with a 9-0 victory over Williams. Middlebury defeated Bates, 7-2, to finish in third place. Here is the order of finish for the women’s tournament: 1. Trinity; 2. Williams; 3. Middlebury; 4. Bates; 5. Amherst; 6. Hamilton; 7. Bowdoin; 8. Colby; 9. Wesleyan; 10. Tufts; and 11. Conn College.

In the men’s tournament on Friday, Bowdoin defeated Hamilton, 8-1; Wesleyan swept Tufts; and Amherst defeated Conn College, 8-1. In Saturday’s quarterfinals, Trinity defeated Bowdoin, 8-1; Bates defeated Colby, 8-1; Middlebury edged Wesleyan, 5-4; and Williams defeated Amherst, 6-3. In the semifinals, Trinity defeated Bates, 7-2, and Williams topped Middlebury, 5-4. On Sunday, Trinity defeated Williams, 9-0, to remain unbeaten in all nine NESCAC championships. Bates defeated Middlebury to finish in third place. Here is the order of finish for the men’s tournament: 1. Trinity; 2. Williams; 3. Bates; 4. Middlebury; 5. Wesleyan; 6. Colby; 7. Bowdoin; 8. Amherst; 9. Hamilton; 10. Conn College; and 11. Tufts.

Coaches and Team Contacts, please remember to enter your team’s results in the US Squash Scoring System on the day of each match. Each player must be named in the results (“Not on Roster” entries will not be tolerated) or penalties may be applied.

Schools are reminded that to qualify for the National Team Championships, a minimum number of matches must be played at specific periods of the season:

  • Varsity teams are required to play ten (10) matches against other CSA teams to enter team championships. At minimum, each team should have at least 6 different opponents. Varsity teams should play the majority of their matches against other varsity schools.
  • Club teams are required to play eight (8) matches against other CSA teams to enter team championships. In addition, club teams must play at least four (4) matches between January 1st and February 10th. At minimum, each team should have at least five (5) different opponents.

For a regular season match to officially count for ranking purposes, each team must have at least seven players. Except for Emerging Teams, matches with less than seven players per team will not count towards the required number of matches for entry into the National Team Championships.

For complete results from all of this weekend’s action, see Women’s Results and Men’s Results.

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